Babar Azam, the veteran Pakistani opener who has played in ODIs and T20s for over a decade, will take the place of pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi as the new captain.
Afridi, the white ball captain of the Pakistani team after its recent 4-1 loss in a 5-match series, was relieved from his duties.
Babar resigned as captain shortly after the end of the 2023 ODI World Cup in which his team did not qualify for the final stages.
PCB appointed Shaheen Shah-Afridi to be the white-ball Captain and Shan Masood as the red-ball Captain following Babar’s resignation.
The Pakistan Cricket Board announced the decision via X (formerly Twitter): “Babar Azam has been appointed as the white-ball team captain.” Mohsin Naqvi, chairman of the PCB selection committee, appointed Babar Azam to be the white-ball captain (ODI and T20I).
A PTI report stated that Babar Azam asked PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi for assurances about the length of his appointment and also requested to become Test captain.
According to the report, citing sources, Naqvi had told Azam he would give him a full run as white-ball captain before a decision would be made on his Test captaincy.
The source said that “Naqvi told Babar the PCB would decide the Test captaincy only after they appointed the red-ball foreign coach, and Pakistan will not have any Test commitments before the World Cup.”
The report stated that “the PCB chairman had made it clear to selectors who they should decide on the captain, and also told them they would be accountable for the performance of the national side in the future.”
The Pakistan Cricket Board announced on X (formerly Twitter) that “Following a unanimous recommendation by the PCB’s Selection Committee, Chairman Mohsin Aqvi appointed Babar Azam to the position of white-ball Captain for the Pakistan Men’s Cricket Team.”
Wahab Riaz is currently the chairman of the committee, which also includes Abdul Razzaq, Asad Sharif, and Mohammad Yousuf.
Babar will next lead Pakistan through a five-match T20I home series against New Zealand. This will be followed by four away matches against England before the T20 World Cup.
The Captaincy Of Shaheen Afridi Ends After Only One Series
Shaheen Afridi became the T20I Captain for Pakistan after Babar was sacked. He led the team on a five-match New Zealand tour in January 2024.
The result was not satisfactory, as the visitors lost 1-4. The first four T20Is were a rout before they won the fifth, insignificant T20I.
A source close to left-arm pacer Shaheen was quoted by Hindustan Times as saying, “Shaheen has every right to be upset. As the national T20 Captain, he expected the board/selectors to inform him of the reasons for this and keep him informed about everything.”
Shaheen has been the captain of Pakistan for just one series. Babar will once again be his captain for the five-match home series against New Zealand.
Pakistan will play 12 T20I games before the T20 World Cup, which takes place in the West Indies & USA.
Babar Azam’s Road Ahead
The first time the newly appointed Pakistan skipper is seen will be in the 5-match T20 Series against New Zealand, which begins on April 18.
Babar will also be looking to put a team together that can compete with the best in the world at the T20 World Cup, which is just two months away.
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